ETPA is Vital to Preserve the Ossining We Love

Rent increases threaten to destroy everything that makes the Village of Ossining so vibrant and unique. As a native of Ossining and 4th generation member of this community, 59 years and counting, I have a great sense of the community and where it was, where it has come from, and where it needs to go in order to continue to grow in all aspects, especially in the housing arena!

I also have been involved with my community for decades, from the Community Relations Council that was born after unrest in our community back in 1973 to sitting on various committees and boards like the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Planning Board. I was President of my Ossining High School Class of 1977 and for 18 years I served as Chairman of the Board and as a member of Interfaith Council for Action.

In 2006, I went against the grain with the village elected officials as Chairman of the Board of IFCA to talk about affordable housing and the need for such. I made it clear that we cannot keep planning for “high end” luxury apartments in this village without affordable housing attached to it. By working together we managed to pass legislation mandating a 10 percent set aside of any new or upgraded site for affordable housing or the requirement to pay $7500 per unit that would otherwise be set aside for such. I support the current efforts of some members of the village board to expand the affordable housing policy and move forward on ETPA.

We need smart solutions that protect this place we call home. There cannot be any type of negotiation to diminish this need, request, and mandate. The Emergency Tenant Protection Act is how we can build a stronger Ossining.

The Emergency Tenant Protection Act, or ETPA, would protect over 1,200 families in Ossining by preventing substantial rent increases, providing legal protections against unjust evictions, and enforcing a guaranteed 1- or 2-year lease to ensure clearer communication between landlord and tenant.

As any New Yorker knows, the demand for decent housing is an ongoing struggle. This is why ETPA is so critical and time-sensitive. There needs to be concrete action before rent increases push out our long-term residents. These residents play integral roles in our community, making up teachers, emergency responders, and nurses, to name a few.

ETPA is an important tool to help to address the housing crisis facing Ossining right now, it will ensure stabilized rent increases and upfront landlord and tenant communication for years to come. Drastic rent increases caused by corporate management companies will continue to be a threat for the foreseeable future. According to the 2017 Housing study conducted by Kevin Dwarka for the Village of Ossining, "There is no other mechanism available to the Village of Ossining that can come even close to tempering exorbitant rent increases as would adoption of ETPA."

The idea of tenant protection is not foreign or new; ETPA has been working successfully in 19 other Westchester communities. For some, like Sleepy Hollow, Tarrytown, Dobbs Ferry and Port Chester, these protections have been in place for more than four decades. There is simply no reason that our village shouldn’t be protected in the same way. For those who think this could hurt the economic strength of Ossining, a study conducted by Professor Elliot Sclar, professor emeritus of Economics at Columbia University, shows that there has been no statistically significant impact of ETPA on property taxes or values in any other Westchester community that has adopted ETPA.

Right now, there are outside groups trying to wage a fight against ETPA by dividing homeowners and renters against one another with empty statistics. We are facing a forceful corporate real estate lobby that has no interest in Ossining and the families that make it great. Unification is the only tool we have to fight with. Misinformation that works to benefit the few is not going to lead to a better, stronger Ossining. This is not the time to pit residents against one another, because we have never faced such a strong threat. Our community is already strong, but the only way to ensure its successful and bright future is to fight for ETPA to make Ossining a decent, safe home for everyone.